The ability to remove the doors made the Model 36 an attractive platform for aerial photography. The doors, constructed of bonded honeycomb for strength and light weight, could be removed for flight although airspeed and other restrictions applied. To provide that access, engineers designed a four-foot wide double door located on the right side of the fuselage. Another benefit of stretching the fuselage was a 10-inch increase in landing gear wheel base, making the airplane easier to maneuver on the ground.Īnother significant feature centered on making access to the main cabin easy, particularly for air taxi operators who wanted the ability to remove the aft four seats and carry lightweight cargo if required.
The new Bonanza could easily accommodate six 170-pound occupants and remain within the specified CG envelope based on a standard-equipped airplane. Cabin volume increased by six cubic feet, and the modification only increased empty weight by 31 pounds.Ĭompared to the Model S35, V35 and the V35A, the Model 36 fuselage being 10 inches farther forward over the wing, resulted in a much more flexible center of gravity (CG) envelope.
As a result, distance from the cabin’s forward bulkhead to the aft bulkhead increased by 29 inches. The Beech Aircraft engineering department, led by Vice President James Lew, used the Model E33A Bonanza as a starting point and relocated the rear cabin bulkhead 19 inches farther aft (also similar to that of the Model V35A Bonanza) and stretched the E33A’s fuselage 10 inches. (Wichita State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives) Introduced in mid-1968, the utilitarian Model 36 had evolved into the improved A36 for the 1970 model year and featured cabin and interior appointments that were equal in quality and appearance to that of the Bonanza V35B. The Cessna Model 210 was a four-place design, and Piper’s twin-engine Aztec was in a different class entirely than the Model 36. Unlike some of its siblings such as the twin-engine Model 55 Baron, the latest Beechcraft was not answering competition from Cessna Aircraft Company or Piper Aircraft Corporation – neither had a single-engine, retractable-gear airplane that could accommodate six people.
In addition, increasing demand for the new multi-mission Bonanza would keep Beechcrafters busy throughout 1969.įrom the beginning of the Model 36 design and development program, the airplane was aimed directly at three markets: air taxi, light cargo and private aviation, with an emphasis on the first two. When workers went home to celebrate the 1968 Christmas season, they had built 105 airplanes. 1ĭuring those months, the production line was kept busy as orders for Model 36 poured in from Beechcraft’s global sales organization. Introduced to company dealers and distributors on June 18, by the end of the year, sales of the six-place Beechcraft had soared to more than $3.5 million. “The biggest, most versatile Bonanza ever built.” That was how Beech Aircraft Corporation described the new Model 36 Bonanza when it was certified in May 1968. Starting with the Model E33A, in 1968 Beech Aircraft engineers dug deep into their airframe “cook book” to create the company’s most popular and versatile Bonanza – the Model 36 series.
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